Customer Reviews

Pitch Black: Color Me Lost (True Colors Series #4)

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I hope no one has ever experienced the death of someone close to them. Unfortunately the majority of people have. It's even more sad when you know someone who's committed suicdie. As the 2nd most common form of death among teengers, it's very rare to go to a high school that has not experienced the effects of it. Even more scarier are the number of teens who have considered the thought of taking their own lives.

Pitch Black, book 4 in the True Colors series, takes a look at teen suicide, a sensitive yet important issue. Morgan's best friend has taken his life and she and two friends are struggling to figure out why. They come up with the solution that it is best to join him and they make a suicide pact. As Morgan finds out what really happen, she decides to rethink her stance and help others realize that it's not worth it to end your life.

I feel that this was a very good book that teens should read. What I found interesting is that Jason tried to kill himself not for the sake of his peers' attention but for his father's. Imagine the guilt his father will now face the rest of his life. The essay about the effects of Tylenol overdose was very informative and should be made more public. I also appreciated Carlson's aknowlegement that Christian teens sometimes shy away from situations they are uncomfortable in handling. When Morgan found herself questioning God, her youth group and even her best friend distanced themselves away from her. Those are the times when they should have been there for her the most.

I feel that many teens believe that no one would care if they died and everyone would be better off if they were gone. I know that because I used to feel that way myself. This should not be the case. Suicide is a topic that many Christians are afraid to bring up. Churches and youth groups need to be aware that even their members are struggling with this idea. I hope that more people, teens and adults, read this book and understand that there needs to be more attention brought to this issue. It might even save a life.

As someone who has been there, let me say that whether or not you like Melody Carlson or even this book itself, it is an extremely accurate picture of what it's like to lose someone, to struggle with depression, and to consider or even attempt suicide. Not many authors have captured this so perfectly, and the book's size is deceptive; it says what it has to say simply and without any overt preaching, but it says it well.

Morgan Bergstrom dysfunctional but somewhat manageable world crumbles when she finds out that her friend Jason has killed himself. No one knows why, and Morgan's sure it's her fault for being so self-absorbed. She and two of Jason's friends decide to kill themselves together as a way of coping.

In a gritty and honest way, Carlson shows teenagers that suicide is not as "quick and simple" as they may think, and that things aren't always as hopeless as they seem. The book does not offer pat answers or attempt to claim that once you "ask Jesus into your heart", everything will be rainbows and butterflies; but it does offer alternatives and a haunting reminder that "suicide isn't something you 'try'. Once you do it, that's it--you're dead and it's forever.'"

Heck, even if this wasn't such excellent fiction, I'd recommend it just because it might save a life. I know it saved mine.

This book is about a girl named Morgan. Her best friend Jason Harding kills himself and Morgan and two of kids from her school named Seth and Grace all go into a suicide pact were they are going to kill themselves but you will have to read to find out to see if they kill themselves.
Some things I liked and didn't like about this book. A few things I likes was how they talked about how everyone was feeling. They explained how they were dealing with their problems. A few things that I didn't like about the book was how they didn't let Jason be in the story so we could see some of his problems he had in life that made him want to kill himself.
I would recommend this book to teens that like suspension and thrill of seeing what will happen next. This book isn't really similar to any of the other books that I have read but it is an amazing story that gives you details on things that may happen in life. I encourage you to read this book and the whole series the one's that I have read are really good.

In this fourth installment of her TrueColors series, Melody Carlson focuses on the feeling of being lost --- to a point where suicide seems a viable option to alleviate the debilitating emotional pain. In the opening section of this story, Morgan Bergstrom just wants to be left alone. Not only does she have to contend with an out-of-touch divorced mother who's dating a man almost half her age (and whose plans to wed in Vegas over the weekend have Morgan in deep distress), Morgan also must cope with her kleptomaniac drug-addicted brother, an absentee dad, and a grandmother who took off to sow her wild oats in her later years.

Nothing about Morgan's life seems to be going according to plan or improving with time, which is one reason why she decides to ditch the youth group scene, attending church and speaking to God. At a standoff, Morgan believes it's useless to continue praying for "good things" to happen when it appears life just keeps getting more out of control.

Relishing a good pity party, Morgan doesn't realize that her current life's woes will seem small in comparison once she receives the devastating news that her good friend, Jason, committed suicide the night before. It takes some time for a stunned Morgan to realize that the news is true. Considering that Jason seemingly had it all together, Morgan wonders (along with her high school class) what chance the rest of them have.

In response to this event, an emotionally devastated Morgan and two other students desperately make a suicide pact with actual plans to carry out their joint suicide together. Thankfully, they are interrupted by the unexpected appearance of Morgan's grandmother, whose recent conversion to Christianity provides some steadying influence and a whisper of hope to Morgan. Through a series of mishaps, Morgan ultimately realizes that choosing to live --- even in the face of horrific pain --- is the most courageous decision she can make.

Trying to deter her fellow students (whose numbers begin to swell) from following through on their suicide pact is more daunting. Yet Morgan's newfound sense of hope in Christ and His ability to stand alongside others, even during the most dire tragedies, is contagious. She is able not only to thwart her peers' plans, but also joins them in establishing a "pact to live."

Though the storyline might at first glance appear trite, Carlson's ability to capture the emotional highs and lows overcomes any weakness in plot. Another excellent and practical inspiring text from this author.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

I really wish I had read this book a couple months ago.
When I tried to kill myself no one understood why I was in the hospital so long and why I was so sick. I overdosed on tylenol just like Jason did in the book. And just like Jason, I waited too long for my stomach to be pumped.
The whole story was very accurate and brought me back to that night. When she said that Jason had stomach pains and was sweating and his face was flushed... that's what tylenol does. It takes a long time but eventually the symptoms kick in.
Suicide is very serious and I think every has thought about it at one time or another. But it does get better. You just have to take life day by day and remember that God is always there.
This is a really great book and I wish it wasn't labeled Christian so that more people would read it because I know a lot of people who would benefit from it.

Morgan thought her life couldn't get any worse. But when her best friend unexpectedly commits suicide, everything she thought she knew gets turned inside-out. Morgan struggles with understanding why her friend, Jason, would kill himself. He seemed to have the perfect life. While she was stuck with a drug-addict brother and a mom who runs off to get married to her boyfriend (who is half her age) in Vegas, he had both his parents, and siblings who actually had their lives on track. Morgan begins to believe that she could have stopped him; if she had been a better friend, could she have saved his life?

Morgan feels lost. "Someone please wake me from this nightmare." She and her friends start thinking, maybe Jason had the right idea after all.

In this book, Pitch Black, Morgan feels totally lost, and doesn't think God cares, or listens, if He even exists. Pitch Black is a Christian Fiction book, written by Melody Carlson. It is the fourth book in her True Colors series, and is pretty short, at least in my opinion. It can stand alone, though.

I did like this book. It dealt with the very real issue of suicide, and why kids would resort to such drastic measures to solve their problems. Throughout the story, it also shows how God tries to show Himself in our lives, and wants to get our attention, and shows Himself to us.

The story is set in modern times. Just like today, in a normal town. The author wrote the book I first person. It's as if Morgan is talking to us, and it is written like she is talking us through everything she is feeling as it happens, which I liked.
The other books in Melody Carlson's series are pretty good, but nothing I'd read twice. They are not my favorite books. I thought the book was interesting, and had something kind of surprising at the end. I read the book reletively quickly, juist because it was around and I had nothing better to read.

This book was interesting, with interesting facts, and a pretty predictable ending, in my opinion, save for that one surprise. And it did show that life isn't always as awful as it seems.

Faith E

Pitch Black......by Melody Carlson
Morgan lived in one of those dysfunctional families but she was glad to have Jason Harding as her best friend. Morgan and Jason had tried to date, but they decided their relationship was only friends. Since Jason's life seemed almost perfect, she could talk to him about her family and tell him how fortunate he was to have such a good family life. That is until the day her world crashed in on her. She found out at school that Jason had taken his life. She didn't believe it at first, but then as the day wore on and she talked to schoolmates, she realized it was really true. How would she ever survive without her very best friend? As this story unfolds, join Morgan and Jason's family and friends as they try to understand why Jason would do something like this.
Teen Suicide is not a subject we like to read or talk about but it is real folks. And Melody Carlson has created a cast of characters telling a heartbreaking story that will stay with you for a long time. My heart ached for these teens as they tried to decide whether or not they would be better off copying what their friend Jason did. After all, if Jason didn't want to live, being a Christian and living a seemingly good life, should they want to live when their lives, and their family lives were so dysfunctional?
This is a book every teen should have the opportunity to read. With the exceptional writing by the author making readers feel like we are living the story with these teens, maybe this book could save the life of someone thinking the same thoughts as Jason and these teens. I very highly recommend this book to teens and parents of teens to read and discuss with each other. Pitch Black should be in every library, everywhere!
I received this book free from NavPress to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55

Pitch Black is the fourth book in the teen fiction series TrueColors, which deals with the important topics of grief, suicide, self-worth, identity, and handling tragedy. Melody Carlson does a great job in my opinion of writing about such hush hush topics in many households and communities. Pitch Black puts a reader right into a group of teenagers as they make their way through different emotions that have been evoked by the suicide of one of their friends.

Morgan Bergstrom is your average teenager, with a not so average family. You walk with her through this book as she first feels like her life is a disaster, with her drug addicted brother who likes to steal, and her mother who has fallen for someone half her age. She believes life just can't get any worse, until her best friend commits suicide, and her small circle of friends decide, in turn, to make a suicide pact that soon grows to a large number of kids. I cried when the Pastor who spoke at Jason's funeral revealed a secret about Jason's suicide toward the end of the book that put a twist on everything.

I think any parent with children, especially teenagers should read this book, even though it's targeted towards teens. It's a little scary, but very eye opening. This book shows that it doesn't have to be someone from a terrible home life, with awful parents, that commits suicide. Jason, Morgans friend, came from a great family, was involved in youth groups for church, and seemingly had a life that other kids in the book envied. It was a shock to everyone. I think it's a great point that needed to be made. Suicide is a touchy subject that leaves many confused, and it's a subject that's uncomfortable and in some cases taboo to even speak about. Melody Carlson does an amazing job getting in there and breaching the conversations, the different emotions, the reactions, and thinking of a group of friends after Jason kills himself.

Another important part of this book is an article about Acetaminophen Overdose and it shares some statistics on teen suicide as well as what Tylenol can do to your body, and why it's so harmful and fatal when taken in large doses as the young boy in this story did.


I gave this book 4 stars as it was interesting, engaging, eye opening to say the least, and as always, if a book can draw me in, give me a lump in my throat, and make me feel like I'm in the mind of the characters, it's an A+ read.

"Pitch Black" revolves around Morgan Bergstrom. She is a seventeen year old girl who feels like her life is sorta out of control. Her brother uses drugs, her parents are divorced and since her mom started dating a new guy Morgan feels like her mom really doesn't pay any attention to her anymore. When she learns that her friend Jason Harding committed suicide, she blames herself, but soon starts thinking that maybe Jason had the right idea, and decides to join in a suicide pact with two other students. Do they go thru with it? Read the book and find out!
Ms. Carlson tackles the subject of suicide. She tells the story in such a way that you feel like you are actually seeing the story thru the eyes of a teen. While this could have been a depressing story it really wasn't instead it shows us the choices we can make, with an inspirational message woven in. While it is the fourth book in the True Colors series it can easily be read as a stand alone work.This is a good clean read perfect for young adults.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by NavPress for review purposes.

Teen suicide is one of those topics that we all want to avoid discussing, but the statistics seem to be increasing with time. Melody Carlson has written an honest portrayal of teen thoughts, feelings, and circumstances that lead teens to make this horrific and permanent decision. Though it is fiction, it also addresses the ways that families, friends and even schools can intervene. Carlson is an excellent YA author. She tackles the issues that are pertinent to teens and shows them ways that they can find God in the midst of their struggles. I highly recommend her books for the YA reader and even for parents or teachers who are wanting to see the issues from the perspective of their teens.